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Description/Abstract

We show that the phase-change technology behind rewritable optical disks and the latest generation of electronic memories can also offer applications in active plasmonics and metamaterials. A range of chalcogenides have been fabricated and characterized for their optical, thermal and electrical properties. Experimental demonstrations show that excitation-induced refractive index changes in gallium lanthanum sulphide (Ga:La:S), a can provide high contrast switching functionality. We have fabricated a silver/GLS interface which can support surface plasmon-polaritons and also incorporated a Ga:La:S thin film with a metamaterials based on arrays of resonance cells. We demonstrate both plasmonic modulation and metamaterials switching through reversible refractive index changes in the chalcogenide.